Reflective WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

practices course
 “Teachers are the busiest professionals on Earth”. “Teachers never stop
working”.

How many times have you heard statements like those above? I
bet many times.
And how many times have you stopped to reflect upon your
teaching practice? Have you ever done it? How? What was the
last time you’ve been observed? What was the last time you
observed a friend?
You may think: Why so many questions? What does it all have to do
with reflective teaching?
I’ve noticed that a lot has been discussed about critical thinking
regarding our students learning process. What about reflecting on
our teaching process? Have we reflected on it?
Reflective teaching is a personal tool that teachers can use to

observe and evaluate the way they behave in their classroom.

It can be both a private process as well as one that you discuss

with colleagues. When you collect information regarding what

went on in your classroom and take the time to analyse it from

a distance, you can identify more than just what worked and

what didn’t. You will be able to look at the underlying principles

and beliefs that define the way that you work. This kind of self-

awareness is a powerful ally for a teacher, especially when so

Reflective teaching is about more than just summarizing what
happened in the classroom. If you spend all your time
discussing the events of the lesson, it’s possible to jump to
abrupt conclusions about why things happened as they did.
Reflective teaching is a quieter and more systemic approach
to looking at what happened. It requires patience, and careful
observation of the entire lesson’s experience.
According to Jack Richards, reflection or “critical reflection,
refers to an activity or process in which an experience is
recalled, considered, and evaluated, usually in relation to a
broader purpose. It is a response to past experience and
involves conscious recall and examination of the experience as
a basis for evaluation and decision-making and as a source for
planning and action. (Richard 1990)
Bartlett (1990) points out that becoming a reflective teacher involves
moving beyond a primary concern with instructional techniques and
“how to” questions and asking “what” and “why” questions that regard
instructions and managerial techniques not as ends in themselves, but as
part of broader educational purposes. Asking “what and why” questions
give us a certain power over our teaching. We could claim that the
degree of autonomy and responsibility we have in our work as teachers is
determined by the level of control we can exercise over our actions. In
reflecting on the above kind of questions, we begin to exercise control
and open up the possibility of transforming our everyday classroom life.
(Bartlett, 1990. 267)
 The process of reflective teaching supports the development and
maintenance of professional expertise. We can conceptualise
successive levels of expertise in teaching – those that student-
teachers may attain at the beginning, middle and end of their
courses; those of the new teacher after their induction to full-time
school life; and those of the experienced, expert teacher. Given the
nature of teaching, professional development and learning should
never stop.
How does reflection take place?
 Many different approaches can be employed if one wishes to
become a critically reflective teacher, including observation of
oneself and others, team teaching, and exploring one’s view of
teaching through writing.
 Approaches to Critical reflection:

Peer Observation – Peer observation can provide opportunities for teachers to view
each other’s teaching in order to expose them to different teaching styles and to
provide opportunities for critical reflection on their own teaching. Some suggestions for
peer observation:
1. Each participant would both observe and be observed – Teachers would work in pairs
and take turns observing each other’s classes.
2. Pre-observation orientation session – Prior to each observation, the two teachers
would meet to discuss the nature of the class to be observed, the kind of material being
taught, the teachers’ approach to teaching, the kinds of students in the class, typical
patterns of interaction and class participation, and any problems that might be
expected. The teacher being observed would also assign the observer a goal for the
observation and a task to accomplish. The task would involve collecting information
about some aspect of the lesson, but would not include any evaluation of the lesson.
Observation procedures or instruments to be used would be agreed upon during this
session and a schedule for the observations arranged.
3. The observation -The observer would then visit his or her partner’s class and complete
the observation using the procedures that both partners had agreed on.
4. Post-observation: The two teachers would meet as soon as possible after the lesson.
The observer would report on the information that had been collected and discuss it
with the teacher (Richards and Lockhart, 1991).
 Benefits
 The teachers identify a variety of different aspects of their lessons for
their partners to observe and collect information on. These include
organization of the lesson, teacher’s time management, students’
performance on tasks, time-on-task, teacher questions and student
responses, student performance during pair work, classroom
interaction, class performance during a new teaching activity, and
students’ use of the first language or English during group work.
 The teachers gain a number of insights about their own
teaching from their colleague’s observations and that they
would like to use peer observation on a regular basis. They may
also obtain new insights into aspects of their teaching.
 Written accounts of experiences

 Another useful way of engaging in the reflective process is through

the use of written accounts of experiences. (Powell 1985) and their
potential is increasingly being recognized in teacher education. A
number of different approaches can be used.
 Self-Reports – Self-reporting involves completing an inventory or
check list in which the teacher indicates which teaching practices
were used within a lesson or within a specified time period and how
often they were employed (Pak, 1985).
 Self-reporting allows teachers to make a regular assessment of
what they are doing in the classroom. They can check to see to
what extent their assumptions about their own teaching are
reflected in their actual teaching practices.
 Journal writing
 1. To provide a record of the significant learning experiences that
have taken place
 2. To help the participant come into touch and keep in touch
with the self-development process that is taking place for them
 3. To provide the participants with an opportunity to express, in a
personal and dynamic way, their self-development
 4. To foster a creative interaction
• between the participant and the self-development process that is
taking lace
• between the participant and other participants who are also in
the process of self-development
• between the participant and the facilitator whose role it is to
foster such development (Powell, 1985, Bailey, 1990)
 Recording lesson
 For many aspects of teaching, audio or video recording of lessons
can also provide a basis for reflection. While there are many useful
insights to be gained from diaries and self-reports, they cannot
capture the moment to moment processes of teaching. Many
things happen simultaneously in a classroom, and some aspects of
a lesson cannot be recalled. It would be of little value for example,
to attempt to recall the proportion of Yes-No Questions to WH-
Questions a teacher used during a lesson, or to estimate the
degree to which teacher time was shared among higher and
lower ability students. Many significant classroom events may not
have been observed by the teacher, let alone remembered,
hence the need to supplement diaries or self-reports with
recordings of actual lessons.
Conclusion

A reflective approach to teaching involves changes in the way we

usually perceive teaching and our role in the process of teaching.
Teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection
develop changes in attitudes and awareness which they believe can
benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the
kind of support they provide their students. Like other forms of self-
inquiry, reflective teaching is not without its risks, since journal writing,
self-reporting or making recordings of lessons can be time-consuming.
However teachers engaged in reflective analysis of their own
teaching report that it is a valuable tool for self-evaluation and
professional growth. Reflective teaching suggests that experience
alone is insufficient for professional growth, but that experience
coupled with reflection can be a powerful impetus for teacher
development.
You might find, as you progress, that there is an area of knowledge
you need to know more about. So never be afraid to ask for help or
advice. There’s nothing wrong with asking, “How can I do it better?”
Doing this is not a sign of being an underwhelming teacher; in fact it’s
quite the opposite: It shows you are brave and professional.